Ashtanga yoga news, opinion and resources provided daily from two practitioners seeking to deepen their Sadhana

New version of ‘Yoga Anatomy’ book released

One of my favorite things about Tim Miller is watching him diagnose a person’s asana “issues.” It happens during Mt. Shasta retreats in the afternoon “Asana Doctor” sessions and, of course, during teacher trainings. He circles the person — still in a pose — with his hands behind his back, sussing out the issue or, in some cases, issues.

Tim’s able to do this, I suspect, because he has an absolutely amazing handle on the human anatomy. He knows which muscles and which ligaments attach to which bones and which… well, a lot more than I can convey. He knows what each part does and, importantly, how it relates to the various asanas.

For the rest of us, I suspect, we get this information from “Yoga Anatomy,” by Leslie Kaminoff. Now, a new version is out, with new illustrations and new chapters “on muscular and skeletal systems.” Perhaps of the most interesting for Ashtangis: It also includes “expanded information on breathing and the spine.” (I’m thinking more the breathing part than the spine part.)